Mascherano: ‘We will come back stronger than ever’

DEFIANT Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool have the belief and character to bounce back from their shattering Champions League semi-final defeat and challenge for domestic and European honours next season.

DEFIANT Jamie Carragher insists Liverpool have the belief and character to bounce back from their shattering Champions League semi-final defeat and challenge for domestic and European honours next season.

In the bleak aftermath at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, after Liverpool failed agonisingly to reach their eighth European Cup final, 30-year-old Carragher issued a rallying call.

In their 15th European semi-final in all competitions, Liverpool had just lost 3-2 on the night and 4-3 on aggregate as Chelsea marched on to Moscow for a May 21 date with Manchester United.

Carragher maintained that it would be “hard to watch that final” but insisted he would not be missing the showdown between the Premier League’s top two clubs.

Carragher said: “We have done well in the Champions League, but everyone at the club knows that we have to bridge that gap between ourselves and the leaders at the top.

“It is something that we are going to have to think about now and aim to improve next season.

“The final is too close to call, I will not enjoy watching it but of course I will watch. I don’t like to see any other English team win it, but I hope Chelsea win, I prefer them to United.”

Without the resources of Chelsea or United and with the battle for control at Anfield still raging, Carragher knows only to well what a tall order it will be for Liverpool to mount a serious challenge for the title and to aim for another European final.

He said: “At Liverpool we know we have to win trophies, but we were left with the Champions League after going out of the two domestic cups.

“In the league people did expect us to be challenging. But this will still be one of our best seasons in terms of points gained.

“But there is no doubt about the character and belief in this side, and next season we want to be challenging (Manchester) United, Chelsea and Arsenal for the title.”

Ultimately, their Champions League exit owed much to an own goal by John Arne Riise in injury-time last week in the first leg at Anfield.

Carragher said: “The most important thing in cup football is the results, and that is what Chelsea have achieved.

“We can’t always say that we are good enough to get to the final every year. It is always tough although we have done really well to get to the semi-finals.

“There are some great teams around Europe and it is always difficult for us to even get this far.

“At one point in the group stages it looked like we were already out. But great teams show great character, Chelsea and Manchester United do that and we have also had to achieve that.

“We have shown over the years that we can hit back. Like in Istanbul and then the FA Cup final with West Ham.

“We do seem to be able to mount comebacks, and we nearly did that here with that late goal.”